Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-07-21
THE NORTHWEST
KANSAS LETTER.

lscarcely remember where left on, or
know where to begin. As the weather
is always safe topic, however, as it
can't contradict what is said about it,
I'll begin with that.
During the winter it was very dry
here-the drought of last summer ex-
tending until spring-and pretty well
into the spring, too. The rains began
some three months since, and have
been abundant ever since, not too
much, but plenty for the crops, though
hardly sufficient to distroy the chinch
bugs. The ground has been we'll soak
ed numberless times, and the crops
promise to be immense all over Kansas
this year. Oats and wheat are light,
owing to the dry weather in the winter
and spring. Then the chinch bugs
took a great deal of what the dry
weather left. These chinch bugs are
the great pest of Kansas. They are
insignificant in size, but what they lack
in weight they make up in multitude.
They have particular liking for wheat
and oats, rather than eat nothing, they
move into the nearest corn-felds and
preempt there, and as they are blessed
with genuine Kansas appetite, that
field soon looks as if a hail storm or a
hot wind had struck it. One stalk of
corn will accommodate 2,999,999 bugs,
though on an extra large one, just 81
000,000 have been counted. Multiply
the number on one stalk by the num-
ber Of stalks per acre, and that result
by one hundred, and you will have the
exact number of chinch bugs on corn
field of one hundred acres.
A Kansas editor plaintively says:
cit is acknowledged by everybody that
Noah was very far seeing man, in that
he built the ark just before that shower
of several years since; but if that was
the fact, why didn't he kill those two
chinch bugs when they were walking
up the plank to board the ark? Ifhe
had just left them outside it would
have been all right. hard rain kills
chinch bugs" .......s
There have been several local hail
storms which have totally destroyed
the crops in the sections where they
occurred. 1 heard man say that he
had ninety-fve acres of corn totally
destroyed by the hail storm of July. 4th.
That storm was of no great extent, but
it was pretty hard for those whom it
did strike.
Take it all in all, the crops here have
as many enemies as in Ohio, the i'm
mense acreage is what makes Kansas
ahead. Generally speaking, I do not
think the farming is as well done as it
is further east. With the same care
and skill it seems to me that farming
could be made to pay as we'll here, as
as it is yield of forty
bushels per acre of corn is considered
large, one of fifty is immense.
Wheat and oats yield more per acre
than in the east, when the chinch bugs
are not too bad. If the season is good
corn generally grows away from them,
but of course they effect the quality of
the corn even then.
The "boom" this year in Kansas,
has been in city property-town lots.
The great boomshave been in the larger
cities, Topeka, Wichita, Hutchinson
and Newton leading off, and every lit
lie town and village in the state eagerly
Additions" much greater
IN extent than the whole. town, were
plated and lots sold for fabulous prices.
It is said that farmer came to a
Wichita real estate man stating that he
lad concluded to sell his farm and
invest incity property, and asking to
De shown some desirable corner lots
The real sstate man started out with
aim, and after driving about for some
lime, found some Elegant" property,
handy to town, a street railway to be
,uilt next week, electric light plant
'lready granted &c." The gentleman
aid he thought he would hold on to his
arm little while yet-they had passed
t three miles back. d
Wichita's corporate limits are six
niles wide by seven long, in other ,
words they extend over forty-two square
niles, more ground than is included in t
he District of Columbia. It is said that {
he "boom" has gone down there, now ,
However, and that reaction has set in. I
Nhe greatest "boom" Kansas can have t
his year is good heavy crops.
For the last seven years the liquor .
question has been the absorbing topic j
# interest in Kansas, and now, after 80 q
many years of trial, it may be well to !
ook at what has been accomplished. /
During two years the infamous drug T
tore law was great detriment to the
ause of prohibition, as the whole
iquor business was in the hands of so
allied druggists. Drug stores multipli-
d, andi every western Kansas town
'erep seen. low doggeries, with . few Il
ottles on the shelves, and the sign
r. - A q /